Car-fender.



PATENTED 00w. 3, 1905. e. w. STBENROD.

GAR FENDER.

APPLICATION IILED MAR. 11. 1905.

rinrrnn srafrns PATIENT OFFICE.

GEORGE NV. STEENROD, OF IN HEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO \VEST VIRGINIA CAR FENDER & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SISTERSVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

CAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application filed March 11, 1905. Serial No. 249,539-

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. STEENROD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Wheeling, county of Ohio, and State of Vest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in car-fenders; and it consists in the particular construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will hereinafter be fully described.

The object of the invention is to provide a fender for cars which will trip automatically when it strikes an object in the track; and a further object is to provide a simple, strong, and durable fender which may be conveniently and quickly tripped by the car operator when occasion requires.

In describing the invention in detail reference is herein had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front end of a car, showing my invention attached. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a hanger with the sleeve attached thereto or mounted therein, a portion of the foot-operating mechanism being shown. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the same; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same, showing a slight modification of the foot-operating mechanism.

Referring to said drawings, in whichlike reference-numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the front platform of a car, to the under side of which, at each side thereof, is secured a hollow metal hanger 2, in which the fender proper is mounted or fulcrumed. Provided on said hanger, on each side of the front end thereof, is an integral upturned aw 3, and recesses 4 are left between said jaws and the front edges of the sides of the hanger. Extending forward horizontally through an opening in the rear wall 5 of the hanger is a bolt 6, havin a round head 7, and on this bolt is mounte a spiral spring 8, having one end resting against said wall 5 and the other against said head 7. As is obvious, by manipulating the nut 9 on the end of said bolt the tension of said spring may be readily adjusted.

10 indicates a hollow sleeve slotted in front and provided with lugs 11, having holes 12 therethrough for the passage of a bolt 13, by means of which the said sleeve is fixedly secured upon the ends of the sides 14 of the fender proper. Upon the sides of the head of said sleeve 10 are lugs 15, adapted to en. gage the recesses 4 in the hanger 2. On the rear side of said sleeve 10 is an integral rearwardly-projecting extension 16, in which is a cup-like depression 17, in which the head 7 of the bolt 6 is adapted to rest. The spring 8 upon said bolt is adapted to exert suflicient pressure on said bolt to normally hold the front end of the fender in a raised position.

In operation when the front end of the fender strikes an object in the track said fender swinging from the hangers instantly drops downward to or near to the rails of the track, the impact causing the fender to act as a lever against the tension of the spring 8. I/Vhen the pressure or weight is removed from the front end of the fender, the latter automatically assumes its normal raised position, being raised by the springs 8.

To provide means whereby the car operator may trip the fender, I provide a transverse bar or rod 18, with its ends journaled in the rear ends ofthe hangers above the bolts 6. Fixed on the rod 18, directly over the end of said bolt 6, is a downwardly-extending bar 19, through which at its lower end the end of said bolt is projected. Upon said rod 18 at a suitable point is fixed a substantially horizontal forwardly-extending bar 20, to the front end of which is pivoted a vertical rod 21, which projects through the car-platform and has thereon a foot-plate 22 within easy reach of the car operator. As is obvious, pressure applied to said foot-plate exerts force against the nut 9 and withdraws the bolt 6 from forcible bearing contact with the sleeve 10, permitting the fender to drop.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 an integral forwardly-extending crank 23 is provided on the transverse rod 18 instead of the horizontal bar 20.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide an extremely simple device of the character described, and it is obvious that various alterations may be made in the minor details of construction and in the arrangement of some of the parts composing the invention without departing from the general spirit or scope thereof. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In a ear-fender, hangers attached to the car, hook-like jaws carried by said hangers, a sleeve provided with lugs on each side thereof fixed upon the end of each of the sides of the fender proper, said lugs adapted for engaging said jaws to support said fender, and a horizontal spring-eontrolled bolt carried by each hanger, the head of said bolt being in yielding engagement with said sleeve.

2. In a car-fender, a fender-frame pro- Vided with sleeves on the ends of its sides, lugs on the sides of said sleeves, hangers secured to the under side of the car-platform, each hanger provided with integral hook-like jaws in which the said lugs are mounted and in which the fender is fulcrumed, a bolt extending through the rear wall of said hanger with its head in engagement with said sleeve, a spiral spring carried by said bolt, and a nut on the end of said bolt outside said rear wall for adjusting the tension of said spring.

3. In a car-fender, a fender-frame provided with removable sleeves upon the ends of its sides, each sleeve having lugs upon its sides, hollow hangers attached to the under side of the ear-platform, integraljaws carried by said hangers, said. lugs adapted to pivotally engage said jaws to fulcrum the fender, a spring-controlled bolt carried by each hanger, said bolts having their heads in engagement with said sleeves, a transverse rod having its opposite ends journaled in said hangers above said bolts, vertical bars fixed to and depending from said red, the, end of one of said bolts projecting through the lower end of each bar, a horizontal forwardlyextending bar carried by said rod, and a vertical rod having its lower end pivoted to the end of the last-mentioned bar and carrying a foot-plate upon its upper end.

I. In a car-fender, hangers attached to the under side of the car-platform, each hanger having two parallel jaws, a fender-frame hav ing lugs on the sides of the ends thereof for engaging with said jaws, an adjustable s pring-eon trolled bolt carried by each hanger, said bolts" being movably held in the rear walls of said hangers and having their heads in engagement with said fender-frame, and. means under the control of the car-operator whereby the pressure of said bolts against said fender-frame may be relieved to permit the front end of the fender to drop.

5. In a car-fender, hangers attached. to the under side of the car-platform, each hanger having two parallel jaws, a fenderframe having lugs on the sides of the ends thereof for engaging with said. jaws, a longitudinallymovable bolt carried by each of said hangers, the head of said bolt being in bearing contact with said fender-frame, a spring carriedv by said bolt, means for regulating the tension of said spring, and means under the control of the car-operator whereby the front end of the fender may be dropped against the tension of said springs.

6. In a ear-fender, the combination with the fender-frame, of slotted sleeves adapted to be clamped upon the ends of the sides of said frame, lugs on the sides of each sleeve, and a rearwardly-projecting extension having a cup-like depression therein 011 the rear face of said sleeve.

Signed by me in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. STEENROD. \Vitnesses:

H. E. DUNLAP, Ron'r. F. DILWORTH. 

